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Robert Forster
| birth_place = Rochester, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor | alma_mater = University of Rochester | years_active = 1967–2019 | spouse = | }} | children = 4 }} Robert Wallace Forster, Jr. (born Robert Wallace Foster, Jr.) (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool (1969), Lebanese terrorist Abdul Rafai in The Delta Force (1986), and Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Forster's varied filmography further includes titles such as Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Black Hole (1979), Alligator (1980), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), The Descendants (2011), Olympus Has Fallen (2013), London Has Fallen (2016), and What They Had (2018). He also had prominent roles in television series such as Banyon (1971–1973), Heroes (2007–2008), and Twin Peaks (2017). From (2012-2018) he had a recurring role as Bud Baxter, the father of Tim Allen's character, Mike Baxter, on the sitcom Last Man Standing who opens a cannabis dispensary soon after it became legal in the state , with some marketing help of his son. He won the Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television for his performance in the Breaking Bad episode "Granite State" (2013), reprising his role in the series' sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which premiered the day of his death. Early life Forster was born in Rochester, New York, the son of Grace Dorothy (née Montanarella) and Robert Wallace Foster Sr., who worked as an elephant trainer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and later as an executive for a baking supply company.Robert Forster profile, filmreference.com; accessed December 18, 2016.Robert Forster Biography – Yahoo! Movies; accessed December 18, 2016. His mother was Italian American, while his father was of English and Irish descent.Robert Forster – How To Succeed in Flops; About Robert Forster, nytimes.com; accessed December 18, 2016. The couple divorced in 1949. As a tribute to his father, Forster hung one of his father's Barnum & Bailey Circus posters in the office of his character in Jackie Brown. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in history in 1964 at the University of Rochester, where he starred in student dramatic performances such as Bye Bye Birdie and, after initially intending to study law, instead decided to become an actor. Career After acclaimed supporting performances in two major Hollywood films, one as Private Williams in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), another as part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana in Robert Mulligan's The Stalking Moon (1968), Forster starred in the critically acclaimed film Medium Cool (1969). After starring roles in the television series Banyon (1972) and Nakia (1974), he played mostly supporting roles in action and horror films including Disney's The Black Hole (1979). Forster had lead roles in cult B-movies in the 1980s like Alligator (1980), Vigilante (1983), The Delta Force (1986), and The Banker (1989). Forster appeared in Jackie Brown as the character Max Cherry, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997. Jackie Brown revitalized Forster's career, an effect that occurred for many actors appearing in Quentin Tarantino films. He since had consistent work in the film industry, appearing in Like Mike, Mulholland Drive, Me, Myself & Irene, Lucky Number Slevin, and Firewall. He appeared in the made-for-television movie The Hunt for the BTK Killer, as the detective intent on capturing serial killer Dennis Rader. Forster also played the father of Van on the short-lived Fox series Fastlane. Forster recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of books by Elmore Leonard. (He starred in the movie adaptation of Leonard's book Rum Punch, filmed as Jackie Brown.) He appeared in the hit NBC series Heroes as Arthur Petrelli, the father of Nathan and Peter Petrelli, as well as the Emmy Award-winning AMC crime drama Breaking Bad as Walter White's new identity specialist (a role he later reprised in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie). He played Tim Allen's father, Bud Baxter, to Allen's Mike Baxter on the Fox hit comedy Last Man Standing. Forster was also a motivational speaker. He was the first choice to play Sheriff Harry S. Truman in David Lynch's Twin Peaks, but had to turn it down due to a prior commitment to a different television pilot, and was replaced by Michael Ontkean. He would go on to appear in Lynch's Mulholland Drive, a pilot for a TV series that wasn't picked up but was later turned into a critically acclaimed movie, and finally got to appear in Twin Peaks, playing the brother of Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Sheriff Frank Truman, in Twin Peaks: The Return, when Ontkean wasn't available to reprise his role. About this, Forster said: "David Lynch, what a good guy he is. He wanted to hire me for the original, 25 years ago, for a part, and I was committed to another guy for a pilot that never went. So I didn't do the original Twin Peaks, which would have been a life-changer. It's a gigantic hit if you remember those years, a phenomenon. But I didn't do that. ... And this time, I got a call from my agents and they said, David Lynch is going to call you. When he called me five minutes later, he said, "I'd like you to come and work with me again." And I said, 'Whatever it is David, here I come!'" Forster's final role was in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, reprising the character of Ed the "Disappearer" from the Breaking Bad series. The movie was released on the day of his death. Personal life Forster was a member of the Triple Nine Society. He was married to June (née Provenzano) from May 14, 1966 to September 20, 1975, after meeting at their alma mater, the University of Rochester. The marriage produced three children, daughters Elizabeth (born 1967), Kathrine "Kate" (born 1969) and Maeghen (born 1972). He was married to Zivia Forster from 1978 to 1980. He also had a son, Robert III (born 1965), from a previous relationship. For over fifteen years, from 2004 until his death, Forster dated, and lived with, actress Denise Grayson (Social Network). Death Forster died on October 11, 2019 at the age of 78 from brain cancer at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family. Filmography Film Television References Further reading * Voisin, Scott, Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting. BearManor Media, 2009. . External links * * * * * DVD Talk Interview * House Petrelli Interview 12/08, Part 1 Category:1941 births Category:2019 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Deaths from brain tumor Category:Deaths from cancer in California Category:Guggenheim Fellows Category:Male actors from Rochester, New York Category:Male actors of Italian descent Category:University of Rochester alumni